My best friend Julia died this past March of terminal cancer. She was 45. She was an Ironman athlete, a marathon runner, and had an incredible zest for life. She was my forever encourager. She was endlessly proud of me for my athletic achievements, my volunteer efforts, my career, and my parenting. But now she’s… Read More The Pain of Grief & Loss
A year ago this month I wrote a post that I had been thinking about writing for a long time titled When Friendship Ends. I wrote about how there are so many songs written about breaking up with a romantic partner, but where are the ballads, and poems, and comforting books when a friendship ends?… Read More Healing a Lost Friendship
Wow! How is it already the end of September? Another year where the days seem long but the weeks and months are flying by. At the end of August my baby girl turned 5 and the next week she started Kindergarten. A new school with new friends, save for one from her daycare. I thought… Read More We Survived Our First Month of Kindergarten… I Think…
My nearly 5 years of being a mom has definitely been filled with its ups and downs. While I am thankful that I’ve experienced more ups, the downs tend to linger longer. Generally, the downs are all the normal stresses of parenthood – sleepless nights, potty accidents, and attitudes that give just a mere glimpse… Read More Not Everyone is Going to Like You
Several months ago, our eleven-year-old suddenly morphed from a little kid into a tweenager. This (literal and figurative) development thrilled Lili and terrified us. Shortly thereafter, we discovered that my clothes and shoes fit her, another milestone which delighted her but struck fear into my heart. Lil now calls everyone “bruh” and does a… Read More The view from above
Dear Teacher Friends, I want to start by saying thank you. Thank you for letting me bounce lesson ideas off of you, answering any questions that I ask, and for making suggestions on how I can be a better teacher. Thank you for celebrating my successes with me, helping me work through my failures, and… Read More Dear Teacher Friends: A Letter to My Work Soulmates
I’ve been wanting to write about this topic for a while. As a fat person, who gained weight only in recent years, I’m noticing more and more microaggressions about my weight. Just so we are all on the same page, “microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or… Read More Fat Microaggressions
Despite all the different ways our lives have unfolded since graduation, those smiles and the love fueling them, are ever present. I don’t think there is a more convincing testament to the strength of our friendships. … Read More Nothing Without You
But even as a little girl in the ’80s, young Lauren had wondered why the Little Ponies didn’t have fantastic adventures of their own. She wanted to see more than the usual “safe” journeys to find a legendary treasure or bring home a missing princess. While playing with her own plastic ponies with purple hair, Faust made them embark upon amazing, epic tales of heroism, with loads of character development, true tests of friendship and loyalty, and complicated puzzles that took real brains to solve, not just a twinkling jewel and the power of love.… Read More In Defense of Bronies: Why I Love My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
As women, even when we are not compatible, we should respect one another and their own personal choices for themselves and their families, but a). not everyone has gotten that message yet, and b). even if they do, it means they will do you no mommy harm, but it does not necessarily mean you will be great friends.… Read More Five Reasons Why My Mom Friends Rule
CT Working Moms 